Submerged water heater



July 7, 1936. H. L. MADORIN SUBMERGED WATER HEATER Filed June 25, 1954Patented July 7, 1936 barren STA-"rss PATENT QFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates'to a cleaning mecha` nism and tube arrangementfor submerged'water heaters and the like.

submerged hot water heaters and like devices v for treating or conveyingliquids are frequently arranged with a bank vof parallel conduit tubes.Such tubes generally communicate at their adjacent ends by means ofheaders or like chambers into whichthe tubes project and to which theyareV secured. The header or chamber at one end of the bank of tubes isgenerally relatively accessible, but that 'at the other end isfrequently in a treating chamber or otherwise inaccessible. Iff thetreatedor conveyed liquid 1 5 such as water contains impurities, sludge,dirt, suspended matten'scale-forrnng material and the like, theimpurities or scale formed settle not only in the tubes but also in theheader chambers. My invention vcontemplates a ready and easily operablemeans for cleaning the tubes and acces-Y sible header or chamber, andalso' the inaccessible header. It also contemplates an improved tubesupporting arrangement.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cleaning device forlcleaning the, tubes'and' headers of a liquid conveying brtreatingunitsuch as a submerged hot water heater( It is a further object toprovideforV cleaning an inaccessible header inxsuch a unit by a mechanismhaving its controlling parts exposed and accessible for readyoperation.` It is a further object to provide an improved tube supportfor the tubesv of a submerged hot Water heater or the like, to increasethe rigidity of the structure. y y

.It is a further object lof `the invention to pro-4 vide a new andimproved cleaning device for liquid conveying or treating units whichmay be readily and cheaply constructedwhich.may be easily and readilyoperated, but which is wholly durable and eicient in operation.

It is a further objectof the. invention to provide a cleaningdevicewhich may bereadily 4 applied to the various existing types ofsub- In the drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like partsthroughout,

Fig. 1 is a section through one type of submerged water heater to whichthe invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a section through the accessible header along the line 2-2 ofFig. l.

Fig. 3 is a section through the inaccessible header along the line 3-3of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a different type of submerged waterheater to which the invention has been applied, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the accessible chamber of suchmodified form of heater, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The invention has been shown applied to a water heater of the submergedtype wherein one end of the tube bank and one header are within a boileror the like and are submerged Within the water therein, as the cleaningproblem with such devices has been particularly acute, due to theprecipitation of the impurities in the Water being heated and because ofthe inaccessibility of the submerged header. The invention, however, hasgeneral applicability to all equivalent devices through which iiuidscontaining impurities are to be passed.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, plates IU and I2 represent thefront and rear plates, respectively, of a boiler or the like adapted tocontain hot water, as indicated at I4. The submerged water heater forheating water for washing, laundering, and similar purposes extendsthrough the front plate of the boiler into the hot Water therein, asshown. The submerged heater comprises an inlet conduit I6 by which itcommunicates with the lower portion of a suitable hot water storagetank, not shown, a front exposed or accessible header casting I8,in-flow tubes'20 and 22, a rear inaccessible header 24, upper out-flowtubes 26, and an outlet conduit 28 by which the heater communicates withthe upper portion of the hot water storage tank.

Suitably secured to the front plate I0 of the boiler, asby means ofwelding or the like, as in' dicated at 3B, is a circular ring member 32,internally tapered and threaded to receive the front header casting I8.The header casting is divided internally by a transverse wall 34, theshape of Which is best shown in Fig. 2. The transverse wall divides theheader casting into independent lower and upper header chambers. 'I'heinlet conduit pipe I6 is threaded into the lower portion of the headercasting I8 and communicates with the lower header chamber. In-flow pipes20 and 22 also communicate with the lower header chamber extendingtherein through the rear side wall of the casting to which they aresuitably secured .in fluid-tight manner, as by welding or the like. Theout-flow tubes 26 extend through the rear side wall of the casting i8into the upper header chamber, likewise being secured to the castingwall in a fluid-tight manner. The outlet conduit pipe 28 'is threadedinto the top of the .header casting I8 and communicates with the upperheader chamber.

The in-fiow andr out-flow tubes are in communication at their rear endsthrough the rear inaccessible header 24. The several tubes pass throughthe forward wall of the header to which they are secured in fluid-tightmanner. .The header casting-24 is of circular cup shape; and threadedwithin its tapered rear portion is a plug member 3S.

'Formed in casting' I8 are two lugs 3l which contactV and thus supportlower iii-flow tubes 2U throughout an appreciable portion of theirlengths.

' Thev arrangement of the tubes with respect to one another is bestshownin'Figs. 2 and As indicated, there are three'in-'flow and threeoutow tubes. The two lower iii-'flow tubes 28' below the transverse wallL34' infront header casting I8, and the three out-flow tubesZE above thewall are circumferentially arranged within the headers and with respectto the central iii-flow tube 22. The transverse wall 34 has an upwardextension ad` jacent the in-ow tube 22, so that the tube is'incommunication with the chamber below the wall; The severalcircumferentially arranged-tubes conyer'ge as they pass from the frontto the rear header, as best indicated in Fig. l.

Threadedinto the forward wall of the front header casting yIt are plugs33 and"38, there being six plugsin all, one for Veachtubaand eachplugbeing in line vwith lthe vaxis of the tube with which it isassociated. The central Vplug 38 vin linel with center in-ilow tube 22has a. central aperture. in which is journalled a rod 48, which passesthrough tube 22 and is journalled'at its rear end in a .centralbearngformed within the plug 36 .forthe rear header. VFluid is prevented fromesacrank member 46 adapted to be hand operated,`

and'secured ,to the rod as by welding or the like at its rearfportionand Within thelrear inaccessible header 24 is a scraper blade 48. Asbestshown inFigs. 1 and 3, the scraper member 48 is notched Vat 56longitudinally on both sidesvnear itsouterend, thereby forming threeedges on the scraper end.y These edges are preferably serrated,l asindicated, vto facilitate their operating action. The operation of thedevice is asfollows:

Normally, Vwater to be heated isbrought fromY thegbpttom of the hotwater storage tank into the submerged water heater through inletconduit'l, from which itpasses 'intothelower'header chamber in thefront'header', through .in-now pipes 24, through "outflow pipes' V26,through the upper headerV chamber in front header I8,

and to the top f the water storage tank tube 22 ldo`es= not `impair-.theheating kcapacity of this tube as the heat transfer takesplace alongVthe tube surface with which the rod does not in/ terfere. Dirt, sludgeand scale are precipitated out of the water during useinto the ,chambersvof the front header I8, the several tubes, andalso the rearinaccessible header 24. Y

By removing plugs 38 access may be had to the two chambers of the frontheader for cleaning and, these plugs being aligned with theirrespectivetubes, tube cleaners-maybe inserted inthe tubes for cleaningthem. `Rotation of hand Acrank 46 rotates scraper blade 48 withintherearrinaccessible header "24. Thescraperblade during Arotationsweepsalongjthe `circumferentialwall of theinaccessible header land-along theifaces of thev tubes,y thus efficiently loosening and cleaning dirt,lscale and the like from'the'rear header chamber. DirtWhichaccumulates'within plug member 36 does no harm as longas sucientopening is kept' Within kthe rear header casting, kand such opening'willbeinsured bythe `scraping action of the'scraper 48. The formation ofthescraper e1rdfacilitates' the 4cleaning action, Vefficientlyremoving-.all'foreign'mattergregardless of its character. The'crankcan"berotated either direction, so that if `the scraper shouldbecomejammed impurities do'not'tend to accumulate inquantities within theifront header chambers or lthe tubes. Most `ofthe;precipitation andYaccumulation occurs within the rear inaccessible header 24. This headermay'becleanedf'by vmeans fmy invention, merely byrotating handcrank 46without removal of plugs 38. By opening'asuitable drain valveinthe-pipes -I6, hot-waterfromrthe water storage tank may be flushedAreversely through the heater while the crank is being rotated l-to.facilitate vremoval 1 of the sediment dislodged by scraper148. 'lTherotation of hander-ank 46 Without removaliof .plugs38 is van exceedinglysimple operation, Nand .yet/.bylthis operation the most Y.inaccessibleportion -ofV thedevice land the 60' portion thereofin .which dirt fandthe like tend to accumulate vmost rapidly .may be Yefficiently cleaned.VCleaning-'by :rotation of-crank 46 may befeiected often asdesirable andnecessary.V

It is apparent Ythat the ,invention may bereadway of illustration toa.submerged :hot water 70 heater ofa-differentfform. `-In thisYembodiment walls lllr and I2 are v.the front and yrear walls oftheboiler; asin the ncase ofthe embodiment shown'inFi'gs. 1,.2, and 3, andinumeral 'I4' indicates the not water within 'the'iboilen "The 75submerged heater device for heating laundry water and the like issecured to front plate l0' and extends into and is submerged in partwithin the hot water I4 of the boiler. The submerged water heatercomprises inlet conduit I6 and outlet conduit 28 as in the firstdescribed embodiment, and a front tube connecting casting 52 and a rearinaccessible header 54.v In this instance, however, but one in-flow tube56 and one out-ow tube 58 are provided, and both the casting and theheader are accordingly generally oval in shape, asbest indicated inFig.- 5. The front casting 52 is bolted to the front boiler plate I0 bymeans of suitable bolts 60, which pass through a flange formed on thecasting and are threaded into the boiler plate I0'. A suitable gasket 62makes the connection Huid-tight. A transverse wall 64 is formed hori-Zontally within the casting, dividing it linto independent'lower andupper inlet and outlet chambers- In-ow tube 56 and out-flow tube 58communicate with the lower and upper chambers respectively, through therear side wall of the casting to which they are secured in a fluid-tightmanner.' The tubes pass through the forward wall of inaccessible header54, communicating with the interior thereof, and this header is closedat itsY rear portion by oval plate 66 secured to the open rear end ofthe header by means of bolts 68, a suitable gasket 'HJ being interposedbetween the parts to insure a iiuid-tight connection.

'I'wo plugs 12, similar to central plug 38 Vof the device shown in Figs.1, 2, and 3, are threaded into the front wall of casting 52 in line withthe axes of the tubes, and are apertured to receive operating rods 'HLVThe'rods pass through the tubes and are journalled in the plugs and theplate 6B; and the bearing connection in the plugs is renderediiuid-tight by means of packings 16 and supplemental pressure plugs 18,as in the device previously described. Secured to the rear of each rod14, is a scraper blade having a cutting edge similar in formation tothat of the Scraper blade hereinbefore described. A crank member 82serves as the operating means for rotating the rods 14 and the Scrapers80. In this instance the forward'ends of the rods are of squarecross-section, the crank having a similarly Squared socket and beingremovably associated with the rods for individual operation of either.

In operation, the crank handle 82 is applied rst to one and then to theother of the rods 14, eachrod being in turn operated to rotate itsassociated scraper blade 48 to clean out the rear inacccesible header,as in the previously described embodiment of the invention. 'Ihisoperation may be accompaniedby Vreverse ushing of hot waterl through thedevice to remove the sediment dislodged, or by the use of acid suitably,injected through conduit 28', as may be desired. When it becomesnecessary to scrape tubes 58 and 56, and clean the chambers in casting52, access thereto may be had by removing plugs 12. However, it isnecessary to clean in this manner only very infrequently as most of thesediment tends to lodge in the rear inaccessible header which may becleaned by simple manipulation of the hand crank.

It will thus be seen that by the invention there is provided a ready andecient means for cleaning devices through which liquids containingimpurities which are precipitated are passed. The means for cleaningthat portion of the device in which the impurities most readilyaccumulate may be easily operated without the removal or adjustment ofany of the parts. The cleaning device may be cheaply and readilyconstructed, and is formed of a minimum of parts. It is durable andreadily operable and yet wholly eicient in operation. When the cleaningarrangement is applied to a heater, the heating eiciency is in no wayimpaired. By keeping the heater clean of dirt and scale and the like,its heat transfer capacity is kept at a maximum at all times.

In conjunction with the cleaning arrangement in the embodiment of Figs.1, 2, and 3, a supplemental support for the tubes has been providedwhich aids in supporting and strengthening the entire device. 'Ihis isof particular importance in connection with the cleaning mechanism whichadds weight to the device and which in operation produces strainsrequiring a strong and rmassembly.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the specificembodiments of my invention which I have used for illustrative purposesand I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise constructionshown, but only as indicated in the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a water heating arrangement of the submerged type, a plurality ofwater conveying tubes, a boiler into which the tubes extend, a headerwithin the boiler connecting the tubes at one end,- a casting into whichthe tubes are tted at their other end, a rotatable rod extending throughsaid casting into the header, a scraper blade mounted on said rod withinsaid header, said blade being formed and mounted for movement within theheader through a path to conform to the header interior, and a crank foroperating said scraper.

2. In a water heating arrangement of the submerged type, a boiler, aplurality of tubes extending into said boiler, a circular headerconnecting said tubes Within said boiler at a point remote therein fromthe boiler exterior, a rod journalled in said header and passing throughthe central portion thereof, a scraper member secured to said rod, saidscraper member being arranged to move through a path closely adjacent tothe circular interior of the header, and means for operating said rod.

3. In a device for treating fluids, a bank of tubes, a treating chamberinto which said tubes extend, a front casting to which said tubes aresecured exteriorly of said chamber, supporting lugs extendinglongitudinally of the tubes from the face of said casting havingsupporting contact with at least some of said tubes at the bottomthereof, means for securing said casting to said chamber, a relativelyinaccessible header connecting said tubes within said chamber, andmovable cleaning means within said header operable from the exteriorthereof.

4. In combination with a boiler, a submerged water heater comprising abank of substantially parallel tubes extending into said boiler, acasting to which said tubes are connected exteriorly of said boiler,means connecting said tubes within said boiler, lugs extendinglongitudinally of the tubes from the face of said casting for directlysupporting at least some of said tubes at the bottom thereof, and meansfor securing the casting to the boiler.

5. In combination with an enclosed heating boiler; a water heater of thesubmerged type comprising a bank of heater tubes extending into theboiler; a header connecting said tubes within the boiler at a pointtherein remotely displaced from the boiler exterior; said header havinga 75 tubesupporting-Wall, a plate" Wall displacexl there# from, and aconnecting cylindrical wall; fa caste ing Vinto which saidtubessprojectexternally of` the, boiler, removable plugs zin the castingin' alignment with theaxes'o'f the tubes; an elonv gated rotatablerodpassingthrough one of the tubes through the central portion off theheader;v said rod beingjournalled near one end inone of said plugs-andhaving 'operating .means on said end and being J'ournal'ledat theotherend in the header plate wall; and-aiscraper member mounted on therodwithin the'headerf'or sci-apf-y ing movement acrcssthe faces of thetubes andi along the cylindrical wallof the headers.

6. In combination with an enclosed heating boiler; a ,'water' heater; ofthe submerged type comprising a bank of heater tubes extending into theboiler; a headerconnecting said tubes within the boiler at a pointtherein-remotely displaced :from the Vboilerexterior: said header havinga tube supporting wall,V a plate wall displaced there-v from, and aconnecting cylindrical wall; a casting into which said tubes projectexternally of the* boiler, an elongated rotatable rod passing throughthe central portion of the header; said rod being journalled near one,end in said casting and hav- Y ing operating means on said end andbeing jourf nalledat theY other end in the header plate wall;

` water heater ofthe submerged type comprising and a scraper membermounted on the'rodwithin the header for scraping movement across thefacesof the tubes and along rthe cylindrical Wall of' the header.

'7. In combination with a heating boiler, .a

member mounted on the'rodV Within the headerV for scraping movementacross the4 faces of the tubes and along the header walls. Y

8'. In a water heating construction, la heating' boiler, a'plurality ofelongated, tubes extending into the interiorof' the boiler toa pointVinaccessible to and remote from the exterior thereof, a headerconnecting the tubes at such inaccessible point within the boiler, theWalls of said header defining a connecting passageway between the endsof the tubes of greater size than the cross section of the individualtubes, a cleaner member mounted Within the header for opera-- tivecleaning rrioiiem'ent within f said lpass'e'igewayl through aspace'greater than the tube cross sec'- tion, and means foroperatihgfthe:cleanerfromj Y outsidefthe boiler. Y Y,

Y 9, Ina Water' heating constructiom a heating boiler, a pluralityo'faelongated tubes 'extending into the interior-of the boiler to aVpoint imac--` cessible to and remotev from the exterior thereof, ayheader connecting the tubes at such inacces,v sible fpoint Within theboiler, 4the wallsof said 1 header dening a connecting passagejivaybetween the ends of the tubes ofA greater size; than the cross` sectionof the individual: tubes,- acleaner member mounted Within the header foroperative cleaningv movement with-in. said; passageway@ through-a spacegreater ,thanfthe tube' cross section, andmeans for operatingethecleaner fromA outside the boiler, said operating means includ ing a rodconnected to the cleaner member-and extending through one of the tubestothe-outsideg ottheboiler.v Y j y ,Y lill Inga water heatingconstruction; a heat-v ing. boiler, la, plurality of elongatedtubes/exftending into the interior of thelooiler to a pointl inaccessible to andremote from-'the exteriorg thereof,` a header connecting thev tubes atsuch inaccessible point within the boiler, the walls of said headerdening a connecting passageway between the ends of 'thetubeal a, portionlor whichr is disposed at a lower-level than-any of Athe 3 adjacent tubeportiona-a cleaner member mounted- `vs/'ithinJthe header for voperativecleaning#V Y movement within`r said passageway,l said cleaner memberbeing mounted-,for-sweeping movement throughsaid lowerydisposed'portongof said pas- 3f" sageway, and means for `operati-ng thecleanerV fromou-tside the boiler.V y j Y 'Y lL'In. a water heatingconstruction,v a heating boiler,-v a. plurality (1f-elongated tubeslextend-- ing into the interior of theboiler'toA a point-4i) inaccessibleto and remote iromfthe'ex-terior. thereof, Va headerrconnectingthe-gtubesat such inaccessiblepointH the boiler, `the walls of. saidheader .definingl Va,- connecti-ng.passageway between the ends of thetubes, a portion of which 4 5 is disposed` at a lower level than an-yot-the ad-jacenttube portionaa cleaner-membermount-f Y ed within theheader 4 rfor A.operati-ve cleaning movement Within passageway,saidcleaner member being mounted for sweeping movement throughV said4lowerclisposed portion oixsaid pas-VV sageway, and means foroperatingffthe cleaner from outside the boiler., said' operating'means'including Aatar-od` connected to cleaner` and' extending through oneofthe tubes to the out- V55 side ofthe boiler.

Y .HARRYV L# MADORIN.

